In the first half of 2022, construction sites in Brussels have already seen six fatal accidents; more than in the previous four years combined, the Brussels Labour Prosecutor’s Office announced.
To protect construction workers and increase safety, mandatory safety training for everyone entering a construction site is in the works, Bruzz reports.
The number of accidents has been on the rise over the past few years, as 57 accidents were filed in 2019, of which two were fatal, and only one fatal accident in 2020, out of 60 cases in total. Last year, there were two fatal accidents and 77 cases in total.
But this year, the number of fatal accidents is skyrocketing, as 32 cases have been opened in the first six months of the year, of which five concerned fatal accidents. On Monday, two people died in the same accident.
A worker who suffered life-threatening injuries on Wednesday has not yet been included in the figures of the labour prosecutor.
Underestimated numbers
In addition, these numbers are likely to be underestimated, explains the federal secretary for the construction sector of the ABVV, Gianni De Vlaminck. Posted workers are not always included in the statistics, meaning that not every case is documented.
He pleads for every employee who works on a construction site to be included in the overview of accidents at work.
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De Vlaminck says that due to sub-activities and subcontractors, there is less overview of the number of accidents in the sector. Moreover, with many Bulgarian and Polish workers, there is allegedly many instances of miscommunication due to the language barrier.
“There should always be a contact person who can translate,” says De Vlaminck. “There are many accidents where people fall from a height or get under a heavy object that falls down. This can be avoided by pointing out the dangers.”
Mandatory safety training
While there is mandatory training for workers who work with asbestos, not every construction worker has safety training. Temporary employment agencies must also provide workers with basic information about safety, but many construction workers who have not received any information about how to reduce the risks on a construction site remain.
The General Labour Federation of Belgium (ABVV) advocates for the introduction of a mandatory safety training for everyone entering a construction site. Employers’ federations and other stakeholders have reached an agreement with the Federal Minister of Employment, Pierre-Yves Dermagne, to introduce compulsory basic safety training in the construction sector.
By the end of the year, the new training should be included in a Royal Decree. “It’s going very slowly, and I can’t say we are going to completely eliminate the number of occupational accidents,” says De Vlaminck. “But at least we can make employees more aware of the dangers.”
